I am the owner of King Charlz cavalier spaniel.She is adorable dog.her name is Charley. I want to buy another puppy but "clean" one without health problems. If somebody knows a breader that sells King Charlz with the proper health certificate? I heard that only in canada and Uk is possible to find puppies with proper health certificate and there is 2 year waiting least? I hope I am mistaken because I live in the USA.

Karlin

1st October 2012, 05:38 PM

Hi: it is not possible to have any guarantee that a puppy is 'clean' without health problems for life. Most puppies will get a clean bill of health from a vet because they are too young to have any of the breed issues. The majority of serious problems in cavaliers (which I think you mean -- the King Charles Spaniel is a different breed, known as the English Toy Spaniel in the US) are diseases that emerge over time and hence a puppy can and probably will grow up to at the very least, eventually have heart disease (mitral valve disease). Almost 100% of cavaliers eventually get MVD, while around 70% eventually develop syringomyelia. Almost all are born with a skull malformation called the Chiari-like malformation.

You can greatly improve your chances of having a healthy dog by working with a properly health testing breeder. We have several suggested guides to finding a breeder and understanding the kind of tests that need to be done, which you need to ask for and also understand. There is no such thing as a special health certificate that says a dog is definitely healthy however (not anywhere in the world), and tests only indicate the status of a dog at the point tested. As MVD and syringomyelia are progressive, you cannot know whether the dog or its puppies will go on to develop these problems. You should search for a breeder who MRIs their dogs and uses a cardiologist to health test. If you read the guides linked to on the home page (right hand column, resources on buying a puppy) this will give you the detailed information you need.

While we all love cavaliers, this is definitely NOT a breed to get if you feel you could not manage some potentially costly health issues which are, sadly, a common risk for cavalier owners-- all potential cavalier owners need to read about and thoroughly understand serious conditions like MVD and SM and be prepared for a possible diagnosis at some point in their dog's life. If you do opt for a cavalier, be sure to support a health testing breeder and get insurance and be sure it covers genetic conditions like MVD and syringomyelia (most policies do not).

RodRussell

1st October 2012, 07:26 PM

I am the owner of King Charlz cavalier spaniel.She is adorable dog.her name is Charley. I want to buy another puppy but "clean" one without health problems. If somebody knows a breader that sells King Charlz with the proper health certificate? I heard that only in canada and Uk is possible to find puppies with proper health certificate and there is 2 year waiting least? I hope I am mistaken because I live in the USA.

Snowonn, I guess you are writing from Florida. I live in Florida, too, and have had cavaliers for a long time, and I don't know of any such breeders. If there are any in Canada or the UK, I'd like to hear about them.